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John Lindsay, the Association for a Better New York, and the privatization of New York City, 1969-1973

Merton, Joe

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Authors



Abstract

Focusing on the collaboration between Mayor John Lindsay and business advocacy group the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), this article illustrates the utility of public and elite anxieties over street crime in legitimizing new, privatized models of urban governance during the early 1970s. ABNY’s privatized crime-fighting initiatives signified a new direction in city law enforcement strategies, a new “common sense” regarding the efficacy and authority of private or voluntarist solutions to urban problems, and proved of lasting significance for labor relations, the regulation of urban space, and the role of the private sector in urban policy. It concludes that, despite their limitations, the visibility of ABNY’s initiatives, their ability to construct a pervasive sense of crisis, and their apparent demonstration of public and elite consent played a significant role in the transformation of New York into the “privatized” or “neoliberal” city of today.

Citation

Merton, J. (2019). John Lindsay, the Association for a Better New York, and the privatization of New York City, 1969-1973. Journal of Urban History, 45(3), 557-577. https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144218765465

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 22, 2018
Online Publication Date Apr 9, 2018
Publication Date May 1, 2019
Deposit Date Mar 19, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Journal of Urban History
Print ISSN 0096-1442
Electronic ISSN 1552-6771
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 45
Issue 3
Pages 557-577
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/0096144218765465
Keywords crime; New York City; public-private partnerships; John Lindsey; neoliberalism
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/924243
Publisher URL http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0096144218765465
Additional Information Copyright © 2018, © SAGE Publications. Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.